Recessed wall base panel and assembly



Dec. 27, 1966 ,1. w. WALDRON 3,

RECESSED WALL BASE PANEL AND ASSEMBLY Filed Sept. 5, 1963 INVENTOR.

Z/ 76 4 JOHN w. WALDRON his 117' 7' OR/VE Y5 United States Patent Ofiice 3,293,815 Patented Dec. 27, 1966 3,293,815 RECESSED WALL BASE PANEL AND ASSEMBLY John W. Waldron, Williamsport, Pa., assignor to Extruded Louver Corporation, Williamsport, Pa., :1 corporation of New Jersey Filed Sept. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 306,901 7 Claims. (Cl. 52-287) This inwention relates to a novel recessed wall base panel and to the assembly of the wall base panel and a companion snaplock mounting therefor.

Various types of wall base panels have heretofore been proposed, but in general they have been characterized by difiiculty of installation, particularly in the case of wall base panels halving concealed fixtures, their unsuitability for use in permanent installations due to their tendency to loosen or to become accident-ally detached, their protrusion from the wall, their tendency to become deformed before, during, and after installation, and the difficulty of lining them up properly in end-to-end relation during the installation thereof.

The recessed wall base panel of the present invention overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of prior art wall base panels and is characterized by .a continuous upper ledge formed integrally along the top of the panel for supporting the portion of the wall directly above it, and a concealed, resilient snaplock coupling or clip formed integrally with and extending continuously along the back of the panel. Long sections of the wall base panel of the present invention can be easily and quickly, but nevertheless permanently, snap-locked to a companion resilient coupling or clip anchored to the wall or beams to which the wall base panel is to be mounted. When so installed, the upper ledge of the wall base panel provides a footing for plaster, cement, or grout, and the front edge of the supporting ledge serves as a screed for the application of the plaster, cement or grout.

The recessed wall base panel eliminates the dust-collecting upper surface characteristic of conventional wall base panels which protrude from the wall. It is both durable and attractive and can be used to conceal electrical wiring. Also, it not only increases the actual floor area of the room, but, in the preferred form in which the base panel is offset behind the wall surface above, creates an added effect of spaciousnes-s and offers a shadow effect which is in keeping with modern interior designs.

For a complete understanding of the invention, reference can be made to the detailed description which follows, and to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is an end elevational view of one embodiment of the wall base panel of the present invention after installation;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of another embodiment of the wall base panel;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of still another embodiment thereof; and

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of still another embodiment thereof.

Referring to FIGURE 1 of the drawings, the wall base panel is shown secured to a backup wall 1.1 by a companion mounting fixture 12. The wall base panel 10 includes a vertical plate portion 13, a continuous T-shaped flange 14 integrally formed along the top of the plate portion 13, and a rearwardly extending rail 15 integrally formed on the back surf-ace of the plate portion 13 near the lower end thereof and extending continuously along the length of the panel.

The companion mounting fixture 12 is essentially a one-piece resilient snaplock clip which includes a back plate 16 and substantially parallel upper and lower rails 17 and 18, respectively, extending continuously along the front surface of the plate .16. The mounting clip is adapted to be secured to the wall 11 by screws 19. The rails 17 and 18 have locking ribs or teeth 20 and 21, respectively, formed integrally thereon and on opposite faces of the respective rails. The locking rib or tooth 20 is formed along the upper surface of the rail 17 and engages a complementary groove in the underside of the rear portion of the flange 14, and the locking rib or tooth 21 is formed along the lower surface of the rail 18 and engages a complementary groove formed in the upper surface of the rearwardly extending rail 15.

The upper surface of the flange 14 provides a continuous surface or ledge 22 along the top of the wall base panel which serves as a footing or support for the portion of the wall 23 directly above. In the embodiment of the wall base panel shownin FIGURE 1, the upper surface 22 has parallel sernations running lengthwise of the panel to provide a footing for a plaster wall, and the front edge 24 of the flange serves as a screed for finishing the plaster wall. However, it is apparent that the upper surface of the wall base panel can also serve as a supporting ledge or footing for wallboard, tile, cement or grout, and the forward edge 24 thereof can serve as a screed for applying cement or cement grout between the base panel and the wallboard or tile.

In the installation of the wall base panel, one or more sections of the mounting clip 12 can be installed with the lower edge thereof parallel to or in contact with the subfloor, and one or more sections of the wall base panel 7 can be readily snap-locked thereto. Although relatively short sections of the mounting clip 12 spaced apart from each other can be used in lieu of a full length strip, nevertheless, it is clear that the full length strip will provide a continuous backing which reinforces the Wall base panel along its entire length. The wall 23 can then be finished above the upper supporting ledge of the wall base panel, and the finished flooring 25 can be laid flush with the 'base of the front face of the wall base panel, thereby providing a permanent, durable and attractive recessed wall base panel.

The embodiment of the wall base panel shown in FIG- URE 2 is substantially identical to the embodiment described above in connection with FIGURE 1, except that the upper supporting surface 22 of the flange .14 has an integrally formed upstanding lip 24 extending continuously along the front edge thereof instead of the serrated surface of the embodiment of FIGURE 1. Also, in the embodiment shown in FIGURE 2, the base of the wall base panel has a concavely curved surface 26 terminating in a flat nose 27 to provide a cove butt joint with the finished flooring 25.

The embodiment shown in FIGURE 3 of the drawings is identical to the embodiment of FIGURE 1, except that it has a cove butt joint at the base thereof, similar to the embodiment shown in FIGURE 2.

The embodiment shown in FIGURE 4 of the drawings is similar to that shown in FIGURE 2, except that it does not have the cove butt joint thereof, but instead, has a base identical to the embodiment shown in FIGURE 1.

The term recessed as used here-in to describe the wall panel of the present invention is intended to include a panel in which the front face is flush with the surface of the finished wall above it, as well as a panel in which the front surface is set back of the overhead wall surface.

The invention has been shown and described in preferred forms only, and obviously many variations and modifications can be made there-in without departing from the spirit of the invention. The invention, therefore, is not to be limited to any particular form or embodiment except insofar as such limitations are expressly set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A recessed wall base panel comprising a panel plate, flanges integrally formed with and extending rearwardly and forwardly and continuously along the top of said panel plate to provide a footing for wall material above it, and a clip element integrally formed with and extending continuously along the back of said panel plate, but spaced below the rearwardly extending flange, said clip element and the portion of the rearwardly extending flange above it cooperating to form a resilient snaplock coupling.

2. A recessed wall base panel as set forth in claim 1 in which the upper surfaces of said rearwardly and forwardly extending flanges have a plurality of serrations extending continuously along the length thereof.

3. A recessed wall base panel as set forth in claim 1 in which the front edge of said forwardly extend-ing flange has an upstanding lip extending continuously along the length thereof.

4. A recessed wall base panel as set forth in claim 1 in which the front of said forwardly extending flange is a straightedge which serves as a screed for the application of plaster, cement, grout or the like, above the upper surface of the flange.

5. A recessed wall base panel as set forth in claim 1 including a concave front surface near the base of the panel and a vertical nose extending from the concave surface to the base to form a cove butt joint with the finished flooring.

6. A recessed wall base assembly comprising a wall base panel and a companion mounting fixture, the mounting fixture including a mounting plate adapted to be aflixed to a backing, upper and lower coupling elements projecting from and extending continuously along the front face of said mounting plate, said wall base panel including a panel plate, flanges integrally formed with and extending forwardly and rearwardly from and continuously along the top of said panel plate to provide a footing for the wall material above it, and a coupling element integrally formed with the panel plate and projecting from and extending continuously along the back of said panel plate below the rearwardly extending flange, said rearwardly extending flange and the coupling element of the panel plate cooperating to receive the coupling element of the mounting fixture between them, said mounting fixture and said wall base panel both including means integrally formed on the coupling elements and the rearwardly extending flange to provide a snaplock coupling between the wall base panel and the mounting fixture.

7. A recessed wall base assembly as set forth in claim 6 in which the mounting fixture extends continuously behind the wall b-ase panel to provide continuous reinforcement for the wall base panel.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,143,283 6/1915 Knapp 52371 1,629,848 5/1927 Thomas 52288 FOREIGN PATENTS 235,455 12/ 1961 Australia. 1,317,930 1/1963 France.

346,994 7/ 1960 Switzerland.

RICHARD W. COOKE JR., Primary Examiner.

J. L. RIDGILL, Assistant Examiner. 

6. A RECESSED WALL BASE ASSEMBLY COMPRISING A WALL BASE PANEL AN A COMPANION MOUNTING FIXTURE, TO BE ING FIXTURE INCLUDING A MOUNTING PLATE ADAPTED TO BE AFFIXED TO A BACKING, UPPER AND LOWER COUPLING ELEMENTS PROJECTING FROM AND EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY ALONG THE FRONT FACE OF SAID MOUNTING PLATE, SAID WALL BASE PANEL INCLUDING A PANEL PLATE, FLANGES INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH AND EXTENDING FORWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM AND CONTINUOUSLY ALONG THE TOP OF SAID PANEL PLATE TO PROVIDE A FOOTING FOR THE WALL MATERIAL ABOVE IT, AND A COUPLING ELEMENT INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH THEPANEL PLATE AND PORJECTING FROM AND EXTENDING CONTINUOUSLY ALONG THE BACK OF SAID PANEL PLATE BELOW THE REARWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE, SAID REARWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE AND THE COUPLING ELEMENT OF THE PANEL PLATE COOPERATING TO RECEIVE THE COUPLING ELEMENT OF THE MOUNTING FIXTURE BETWEEN THEM, SAID MOUNTING FIXTURE AND SAID WALL BASE PANEL BOTH INCLUDING MEANS INTEGRALLY FORMED ON THE COUPLING ELEMENTS AND THE REARWARDLY EXTENDING FLANGE TO PROVIDE A SNAPLOCK COUPLING BETWEEN THE WALL BASE PANEL AND THE MOUNTING FIXTURE. 